Uploads from rovingmagpie, tagged veteransday2011, with geodata

a river of cranes in the air

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:01:30 -0800

Flying in for the night.

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

Grasshopper Porn

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:53:37 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Maybe the best part of the hike up to Chupadera Peak, these were all along the trail west of the highway. They were HUGE for grasshoppers, I should've got a shot of one in my hand for scale. Most of them were very, very busy.

There's not a lot going on at Bosque del Apache during the day, the big shows happen early (the fly-out) and late (fly-in). There are a few hikes in the area that we've done too many times already and one we hadn't . We'd been putting off hiking the Chupadera Trail because 1: It's on the longish side for us, and 2: Until recently, the trail stopped short of the top. Volunteers have been working on #2, and now the trail goes all the way to the top of Chupadera Peak. We did, too. It was one of those completely overcast days (that's two in a row, we must be on vacation), not good for pictures but comfortable for hiking.
_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Through the gates

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:14:15 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

There's not a lot going on at Bosque del Apache during the day, the big shows happen early (the fly-out) and late (fly-in). There are a few hikes in the area that we've done too many times already and one we hadn't . We'd been putting off hiking the Chupadera Trail because 1: It's on the longish side for us, and 2: Until recently, the trail stopped short of the top. Volunteers have been working on #2, and now the trail goes all the way to the top of Chupadera Peak. We did, too. It was one of those completely overcast days (that's two in a row, we must be on vacation), not good for pictures but comfortable for hiking.
_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

San Lorenzo Canyon

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:30:43 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Turning a dark overcast day into the dreams of a southwestern summer: mama, don't take my Photoshop away!

_________________________________________________________________________________
November 11, 2011: Taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

"Hi Mom!" from San Lorenzo Canyon

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:07:33 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Exploring San Lorenzo on a rare overcast day - there hadn't been a "Hi Mom!" opportunity for a while, and with all these opportunities around...

_________________________________________________________________________________
November 11, 2011: Taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

Autumn Acequia

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:10:59 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Bernardo, New Mexico

The shooting range

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:48:13 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

When word gets out where the cranes are flying in for the night, the photographers start showing up in large numbers.
Or: Wherever the fly-in is going on, the drive-in is sure to follow :^)

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Pilot to copilot - prepare for landing

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:30:04 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

peaceful

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:38:20 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Many of these birds were just arriving from their migration. Thousands of miles from far northern Canada, following rivers and their own internal maps. Some of them looked really tired...

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

watercolors

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:33:33 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Yeah I messed with it, just a wee bit :^)

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

cranes64

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:23:33 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a video:

It seemed like maybe ten minutes but when Mrs M looked at her watch, we'd been there for an hour. There's something timeless about watching these birds fly in, and with the mountains as a backdrop, it's even better. And in the quiet time between groups, there was interaction between the birds to watch, always somebody not getting along with somebody else and showing it in dramatic style.

I shot a lot of clips, and when I went back to weed out the culls, it was harder than I thought. So I'm posting a bunch. Each is a little different. If you could sum all of the video clips into one, it would represent what you'd see as each group flew in, and there were many groups. I hope that makes sense!

I think my favorite is cranes64, though cranes58 has a perfect triple landing and 68 has some nice reflections and 69 has a LOT of birds coming in, that was towards the end and they were really piling in before dark...
_________________________________________________________________________________
A lot of the photographers we see at Bosque del Apache show up with monster lenses that undoubtedly cost more than our car. They're all trying to get that killer shot, and up until last year, so was I. I finally figured out that I'd never get it with the point-and-shoot camera and no tripod so I started taking fewer photos and enjoying the birds more. I was getting some decent stills but I wasn't bringing the experience home. On this visit, a little light bulb went on in my head - a short video clip might work better. I don't think we've ever seen a video camera in use there, although we've certainly seen video from there on CBS's "Sunday Morning".
Anyway, here are a couple of clips. I think they do a much better job than my stills, and there's SOUND. So important!

cranes69 - The fly-in

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:17:36 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a video:

It seemed like maybe ten minutes but when Mrs M looked at her watch, we'd been there for an hour. There's something timeless about watching these birds fly in, and with the mountains as a backdrop, it's even better. And in the quiet time between groups, there was interaction between the birds to watch, always somebody not getting along with somebody else and showing it in dramatic style.

I shot a lot of clips, and when I went back to weed out the culls, it was harder than I thought. So I'm posting a bunch. Each is a little different. If you could sum all of the video clips into one, it would represent what you'd see as each group flew in, and there were many groups. I hope that makes sense!

I think my favorite is cranes64, though cranes58 has a perfect triple landing and 68 has some nice reflections and 69 has a LOT of birds coming in, that was towards the end and they were really piling in before dark. Crank up the sound for this one!
_________________________________________________________________________________
A lot of the photographers we see at Bosque del Apache show up with monster lenses that undoubtedly cost more than our car. They're all trying to get that killer shot, and up until last year, so was I. I finally figured out that I'd never get it with the point-and-shoot camera and no tripod so I started taking fewer photos and enjoying the birds more. I was getting some decent stills but I wasn't bringing the experience home. On this visit, a little light bulb went on in my head - a short video clip might work better. I don't think we've ever seen a video camera in use there, although we've certainly seen video from there on CBS's "Sunday Morning".
Anyway, here are a couple of clips. I think they do a much better job than my stills, and there's SOUND. So important!

cranes68 - noisy reflections

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:10:45 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a video:

cranes58 - Elegant Landing

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:07:15 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a video:

High Desert

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:33:31 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Up near the top of Chupadera Peak, looking west toward the Magdalena Mountains. A nice view, even on an overcast day.

There's not a lot going on at Bosque del Apache during the day, the big shows happen early (the fly-out) and late (fly-in). There are a few hikes in the area that we've done too many times already and one we hadn't . We'd been putting off hiking the Chupadera Trail because 1: It's on the longish side for us, and 2: Until recently, the trail stopped short of the top. Volunteers have been working on #2, and now the trail goes all the way to the top of Chupadera Peak. We did, too. It was one of those completely overcast days (that's two in a row, we must be on vacation), not good for pictures but comfortable for hiking.
_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Festival of the Crayons!

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:36:32 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Every year, timed to coincide with the Festival of the Cranes, is the Festival of the Crayons. Brilliant, I say, and too good to pass up!
The festival runs through Thanksgiving this year.
_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

Festival of the Crayons!

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:29:17 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Every year, timed to coincide with the Festival of the Cranes, is the Festival of the Crayons. Brilliant, I say, and too good to pass up!
_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

Successful birding requires some sacrifice

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:18:27 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

Good thing for them it's a rental :^)

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Why can't we all just get along?

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:46:16 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

As the fly-in progresses, birds fly in that the birds that are already there don't like too much. And vice versa. There's a fair bit of noisy posturing and contention which picks up as more and more birds arrive.

(A low-light action shot from our Bosque del Apache visit, before I remembered to crank up the film speed on the camera)
_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.

The early worm gets the bird

nobody@flickr.com (rovingmagpie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:04:21 -0800

rovingmagpie posted a photo:

The first photographers to arrive at one of the overnighting ponds at Bosque del Apache NWR.
It's something of a guess which of the ponds the birds will be showing up at, we've guessed wrong before and missed out on most of the birds. This time we got it right both nights.

_________________________________________________________________________________
A highlight of a winter visit to Socorro is the return of the Sandhill Cranes and Light Geese to the wildlife management areas on the Rio Grande, most notably the Bosque del Apache NWR.
Every evening the birds return from the feeding grounds and flock together in protective manmade ponds. Known as the "fly-in", it's truly a spectacle as the elegant birds drift in in groups of varying numbers.
We try to make it down there at least once a year if we can.

I'm taking a break from posting the summer photos. At the rate I'm going, it's gonna take the rest of the year to get 'em done anyway, so why not take a break and post something timely?
This is a series from a weekend getaway to Socorro.